That Thing They Say About Love
by L. Greene
Summary: ...They say love is blind. AU! Balthazar has never been one to involve himself in romantic entanglements, but he meets a mysterious man named Lu at a bar one night and is immediately taken in. There's something about Lu he can't quite put his finger on, though. Balcifer, Destiel, Gabriel/Kali, and references to other pairings. M for language and eventual sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Balthazar wishes he could say he has some amount of emotional depth, but that would be a flat-out lie. He knows it. He's not an idiot and he's not a liar—he's just shallow. He's long since accepted it as a facet of his personality.

He's even managed to make some actual good friends despite this. Admittedly, he's slept with them at one point or another, but after the heat of the moment (or moments, as is sometimes the case), they worked their way into a surprisingly easy friendship. And it's not that he doesn't like people, because he does. He just doesn't like to dig particularly deep, at least not at first.

He knows more about Gabriel than he ever suspected he would during their initial tryst. Not that it wasn't fun (because it _definitely_ was—Gabriel has quite an imagination, leading to several extremely interesting encounters, including one involving handcuffs, a feather boa, a can of whipped cream, and the mall parking lot), but after the sexual aspect of their relationship ended, he fully expected the shorter man to clear out. Instead, they started hanging out as friends, and even after Gabriel started dating this woman named Kali, they stayed friends. That still impresses Balthazar, who still assumes that his own shallow nature will eventually drive people away, even though he does have some good friends.

So when Castiel and Gabriel invite him bar-hopping with them, he immediately agrees. Proverbially speaking, business has been slow lately, and he's looking forward to getting out of the apartment and into a stranger's bed (and even the stranger part is open for debate, even though he knows Castiel and Gabriel are both dating other people and probably aren't interested in sleeping with him). He's going to have fun tonight, because if there's one thing he _doesn't_ do when he has a mind for it, it's go home alone.

And he's right. They go to a new bar, one Gabriel has been to before, and almost immediately, his gaze zeroes in on the strawberry blond in a booth in the corner, wearing a shirt so tight and a grin so seductive that he has to be after the same thing Balthazar is. The strawberry blonds also wears a pair of glasses with the lenses lightly tinted blue and, if anything, the glasses only improve the look. He can't be sure, but he thinks he sees the stranger's eyes flick toward him for a moment. Unbidden, a smirk stretches across his face, so he turns to the bar to order a drink and hide the look.

He supposes he should have realized that _someone_ would notice, though. Gabriel smirks knowingly at him. "Target acquired?" the shorter man jokes, waggling his eyebrows.

"Acquired and engaged," Balthazar says with a smirk and the tiniest of glances back at the strawberry blond. He's staring into another corner of the bar now with a gaze so intense, it might just melt a hole in the wall. He can probably charm the pants off a houseplant. Balthazar's interest has been piqued, that's for damn sure.

When he glances back at the bar, he notices another man sitting on a bar stool, three shots of what looks like whiskey lined up in front of him. He's got dark hair and eyes, and a face that's equally as handsome as the strawberry blond in the corner, but in a different way—this one is almost surly-looking, but the grin he flashes at the bartender lights up his whole face. Without another moment of hesitation, he knocks the shots back one by one until each of the glasses is empty and overturned in front of him. Then he shakes his head at the bartender, hands over a credit card, and waits for the bartender to bring it back with a pen and a receipt.

Castiel, meanwhile, wanders back over from the jukebox as Gabriel says, "Not that I can figure why you're angling for someone this early. We have like four more stops to make after this."

"Got your eye on someone already?" Castiel asks, tilting his head to the side.

"It doesn't hurt to look around," Balthazar says simply. "Besides, however unlikely, there is always the possibility of rejection."

Gabriel snorts with laughter. "Unlikely is right. I can't think of a single person who'd say no to you."

Balthazar grins and shrugs in acceptance. It's not that he's forceful—he can always tell when his advances are unwelcome and gracefully backs out whenever it's the case, and he always takes the first no for an answer. Despite being as shallow as he is, he can read people extraordinarily well. It's his sheer magnetism that has most people saying yes to him, and he's never one to turn down a proposal someone else makes toward him.

Within ten minutes, Castiel and Gabriel are trading shots and Balthazar's still eyeing the strawberry blond. Every once in awhile, the bartender slinks over to his table with another drink and the stranger grins and nods, accepting it. Aside from him, though, no one else has seemed to notice him. So Balthazar finally decides to make his approach. Drink in hand and heart pounding a little harder than he's comfortable to admit, he approaches the strawberry blond's table. "Evening," he says with an easy smile.

Despite the glasses, those eyes of his are brilliant as he suddenly looks up at Balthazar with a wide grin. "Hey. Nice accent. British?"

Damned if that grin doesn't make his heart skip a beat and send heat pooling in his gut. His voice never wavers, though. "French by birth, learned English in Great Britain." He readjusts his expression to form what he knows to be a knee-melting smile and continues. "Decided to skip across the pond about fifteen years ago, though."

Somehow, the strawberry blond is not only still capable of coherent thought, but coherent speech as well. "You've made yourself at home then." The teasing tone practically drips from his voice. "Want to sit down?" he adds, gesturing to the booth seat next to him.

"Yeah, sure," Balthazar responds, trying and not quite succeeding to keep his voice casual. "What are you drinking?" he adds.

"Just Coke. I don't really like alcohol that much." The stranger's lips quirk up into a self-deprecating smile. "I run into enough inanimate objects when I'm sober. I'm Lu, by the way." The strawberry blonde holds out his hand, and Balthazar immediately shakes it.

"Balthazar. Nice to meet you." If Lu finds his name funny—he's gotten raised eyebrows, a few people asking him to repeat himself, and Gabriel straight-up burst out laughing—it doesn't show on his face. For some reason, it reassures him. Not that anything else would discourage him, because he's gotten past awkward first encounters before. It's just nice to not be looked at like he's an alien.

"Yeah, definitely. So what brings you to this fine establishment tonight?"

"Barhopping with a few friends of mine." He hates to admit, even to himself, that he's only half-focused on the conversation now. Lu swallowed almost immediately after asking his question and now Balthazar's fighting the urge to stare at his throat, wondering what kind of sounds Lu will make in bed (he'll probably be soft and breathy at first, but once they get into a rhythm, he'll get louder, which is just how Balthazar likes his partners—vocal and responsive), if he's a screamer (there's a heady rush to his pulse just contemplating that possibility and he decides he likes the idea of Lu waking up hoarse tomorrow morning from shouting tonight), if he's a top or a bottom (he's definitely giving off some "top" vibes, but that doesn't mean much—he could just as easily be a very confident bottom or, Balthazar's favorite, one who likes to switch). It's an uphill battle to stay attentive to the conversation. "You're not here alone, are you?"

Lu shakes his head. "Nah, my brother's around here somewhere, not that I can see him." He lifts his glasses slightly to rub the bridge of his nose as Balthazar casts a quick glance around the rest of the bar. He doesn't see anyone who looks like he could be Lu's brother. It's plausible that his brother doesn't look a thing like him, though.

"Is your brother your wingman?" Balthazar half-jokes.

The strawberry blonde grins sheepishly and shakes his head. "More like my bodyguard. He's a bit… protective of me."

"Older brother then?"

"Yeah, not that five minutes means much."

"So he's your twin?"

"Yeah. We aren't identical, though, so most people don't realize it."

He has a feeling they're venturing into deeper waters here, but he can't help but ask. His curiosity is piqued, after all. Lu is an inch or two taller than him and definitely solid in build. Why he would need a bodyguard is beyond Balthazar. "So why is he so over-protective?"

Lu rubs the back of his neck, smiling nervously. "It's a bit of a long story," he says after a moment of contemplation.

"And?" Balthazar's curiosity is burning now. There is something serious here, he can feel it.

"And you probably don't want to hear it," he finishes, dropping his hand to the table before bringing his glass of Coke to his lips.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, it's fine, but I _am_ interested."

Lu thinks it over for a moment before his smile becomes a little more genuine. "Maybe next time. It's not exactly idle bar chat."

Balthazar wonders what happened. It obviously isn't a pleasant story, if the expression on Lu's face is anything to go by. "Alright," he says, keeping his voice light. "Next time."

Lu takes another swig of his Coke.

"So are you here often?" Balthazar asks to break the silence. It's a comfortable one, surprising him.

"Fairly often. Mikey likes it here. I like the ambiance. It's not a bad place to decompress. And karaoke Saturdays? I kill it," he jokes. "You're new here, though."

"Yeah. First time here. My friend Gabriel hinted that we'd be going elsewhere at some point tonight."

"Sounds like a big night. Celebrating something?"

"Actually, I believe we're just blowing off some steam. Nothing in particular."

Out of the corner of his eye—he'd fixed his gaze firmly on Lu—he sees the dark-haired man from the bar slide off his stool and make his way to the table where he and Lu sit. Balthazar is immediately on alert. He doesn't know who this guy is, but he suddenly looks like trouble, especially after hearing that apparently there's some reason Lu needed a bodyguard of some sort. He tenses up, preparing for a fight. This guy is possibly drunk and definitely looks like he's seen a few brawls in his day, just like he appears to be gearing up for another right now.

He stops in front of the table, still casting Balthazar a suspicious glance, and says, "Hey, Lu. Who's this?"

"Hey, Mikey," Lu says cheerily, flashing a grin in the direction of his brother's voice. He clearly didn't notice Mikey's approach, but Balthazar relaxed upon discovering this man's identity. "This is Balthazar. We've been talking."

Michael doesn't relax his aggressive posture. "I see. It's getting late—we should probably be getting out of here. You have work in the morning." Balthazar can hear the edge in his voice, basically confirming what he's suspected since Michael first started eyeballing him: Michael doesn't trust him.

Sure, Balthazar isn't the type of guy you'd want your daughter to date, but he isn't a bad person. He finds himself staring down Lu's brother even though he knows he certainly isn't doing anything to earn his trust.

Almost imperceptibly, Lu raises an eyebrow. "Alright, Mikey." He turns back to Balthazar, his drink forgotten on the table. "It was great to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Balthazar says, finally breaking his stare down with Michael. He doesn't know what possesses him to ask—maybe it's Lu's bright blue eyes still on him or because he knows it'll piss Michael off even more, but he hears himself asking, "Can I give you my number?"

Michael looks to be about to assert himself between the blond and his brother, but Lu beats him to a response. A grin blooming across his face, he says, "Sure. Got a pen or a marker?"

"Yeah, hang on a tick." One thing he always has on him is a Sharpie. He picked up the habit in school and it never quite went away.

A muscle in Michael's jaw twitches as Balthazar scribbles his name and number across Lu's proffered forearm. The older brother was definitely pissed at this turn of events, but at least he's not about to do anything to stop it, considering Lu's obviously okay with it.

As soon as Balthazar caps his marker and puts it back in his pocket, Lu rattles off the blond's number to confirm he has it correct.

"Yeah, sorry," Balthazar says sheepishly. "I know my penmanship is utter shite."

"I know what you wrote," Lu says reassuringly, giving him a pleased smile. "Thanks."

"Not at all."

Lu aims one last grin in his direction before sliding out from behind the table. Michael levels a look that's as opposite as it's possible to be at him as well, pointedly waiting until Lu's taken a step toward the door before he turns, following half a step behind him. He puts his hand against his brother's shoulder as though steering him toward the exit, but Lu doesn't bother to shrug off the hand.

Balthazar lets out a tired sigh as soon as the door closes behind him and he clears out from behind the table as well. He drains his glass and heads back toward the bar, where Castiel and Gabriel are giggling over something the shorter man probably said, his honey-colored eyes alight with mischief.

"Aw, no bite?" Gabriel jokes, knocking back the rest of his drink.

"Actually, I gave him my number."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "That's a new one. Are you..." He feigned an overly-dramatic gasped. "Thinking of _settling down_?"

"Shut up. It's just my number, not a marriage proposal."

Castiel grins and nudges Balthazar's arm playfully. "I admit, I never expected that from you. I thought you never gave out your number."

Balthazar glances toward the door that Lu and his brother had walked out of, as though he would still be able to see the strawberry blond. "Well, I did this time. Are we moving along or not?"


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter could have been a lot worse. Or a lot longer. I wanted to get it posted, though.**

**Many thanks to JPS, madclifton, egyptian1995, ChloeJP, Sexy. Lil. Emo, charlotte. eliot. 3, IslanderBib, Keefer, KitCat 1995, Kathrin J Pearl, RayenOfDeadStarsAndPlanets, Verditer Blue, and r2metoo for your reviews to the first chapter!**

* * *

It's only been a day and already, Balthazar's wondering what happened to himself. He doesn't give out his number. He doesn't give out his number to strangers. He doesn't give out his number to strangers he met _at a bar_.

Except he just did, and now he's wondering if Lu is even going to bother calling him.

After leaving the bar with Gabriel and Castiel, Balthazar had felt strangely unbalanced. He couldn't get back on his game, and even if he could, he didn't see anyone who he felt interested in. He has no idea what to make of this except, maybe, he _could_ be getting ready to settle down. Maybe hookups had just lost the appeal.

Or maybe he was losing his marbles. After all, every time he ran into an attractive person, his brain went, "Hmm, not Lu," and dismissed them. That, he thinks, is the worst part. He doesn't get hung-up on people. The odds of him seeing Lu again, he knows, are slim... even if he _were_ to go to that bar again the next night for Karaoke Saturday.

Lu mentioned he was good at karaoke.

No, he is _not_ going to go back to that bar the very next night just to see Lu. That would be ridiculous and pathetic. Balthazar may be shallow, but he's not clingy. Especially over someone he barely even knows. He's not going down this road, even if he does want to see Lu again. And he does. He just won't.

So he stays in on Saturday night, half-hoping that the strawberry blond will give him a call even though he knows it's stupid to even fathom. And, sure enough, his phone doesn't ring on Saturday.

But it _does_ ring on Sunday, and it's an unfamiliar number with a local area code. He pretends he isn't hoping it's Lu even though he most certainly _is_ hoping that. "Hello?"

"Hey, Balthazar," says that sweetly familiar voice, and the blond can almost hear the smile. "What's up?"

He grins in spite of himself and absently begins pacing his apartment. "Not much. Just been enjoying a slow weekend. Late morning, kettle on, that kind of thing." He lets out a nervous chuckle, suddenly aware of how boring he sounds. He's not usually like this. When did he get so damn _insecure_? He clears his throat to mask his nerves. "What about you?"

"Same for today. Had a long day at work yesterday, but I made it to Karaoke Saturday. I almost expected you to be there, actually," Lu says, and Balthazar thinks he detects a note of disappointment. He tries and fails not to be pleased by this.

"Maybe I _was_ there and you just didn't see me," he teases.

"That is well within the realm of possibility," Lu admits. "But then I'd have to wonder why you didn't come up and talk to me. I think I was onstage half the night."

Balthazar pauses shuffling around his apartment. How the Hell did he end up in the bathroom? He makes a swift exit, saying, "Well, I wasn't there. I thought about it, but I wasn't sure if that would be okay."

"Why wouldn't I want you to be there? I'm always interested in getting to know mysterious British men," Lu jokes.

"Trust me, there's not much to know. I only seem mysterious until you've been around me a little longer." He almost smacks his forehead, realizing too late how stupid he sounds. Apparently his real-life flirting abilities don't translate into phone conversations.

The other man is quiet for a moment until he lets out a snort of laughter. "Yeah, I think that's the point," he says, but he doesn't sound condescending. He sounds more amused than anything.

"Sorry. That sounded more intelligent in my head." Actually, he's pretty sure it never even bounced around in his head. It just flew right out of his mouth.

When did he wander onto the balcony? He's really going to need to stop pacing. He knows it's because of nerves, but he heads into the kitchen and sits on one of the stools to keep himself from walking around.

Lu laughs again, and Balthazar has to admit that he likes the sound. "It's fine. I don't mind."

"So, I don't think you ever mentioned what you do," he says, wishing his charm didn't evaporate the moment he was no longer directly in front of the object of his affections. It's a lot harder to flirt with someone when they can't see your knee-melting smile.

"Nope, I didn't," Lu says cheerfully, and before Balthazar can even ask, he's going on. "I'm a librarian."

That response floors him for a minute and he is definitely _not_ thinking about Lu in thick-framed glasses, a sweater vest, and a slightly-askew bow tie getting ready to bend him over a stack of books, but someone hasn't told his head that. "Wow," he finally says. "I was not expecting that."

"Most people don't. I guess I don't really look like a typical librarian, but..." Balthazar can almost see the strawberry blond shrugging. "It is what it is. I enjoy it. Mikey says it keeps me out of trouble."

He laughs. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"Yeah, I think he'd be surprised what kind of shenanigans we get up to," Lu jokes.

Balthazar realizes he's been bouncing his leg for the last five minutes. _What the Hell?_ He physically cannot stop it from happening without standing up, so he slides off the stool and resumes his anxious pacing. "So." He's even more nervous now. He tells himself to calm down, that Lu is just a guy, that he probably seems utterly incapable of carrying on a regular conversation, but he can't shake the feeling of undeniable attraction to the other man. It's unnerving. He can't recall feeling like this in his entire life.

"So," Lu agrees.

"Look, I'm not so good with talking on the phone," Balthazar says.

"You seemed to be doing okay so far."

"I'm better in person."

The teasing tone grows more pronounced. "I'm not arguing that."

Balthazar clears his throat and realizes he's staring down a photograph of himself and his sister with appropriately goofy looks on their faces. Somehow, his feet have carried him into the bedroom. "Anyway," he says, trying to brush off the playful snark. "My point was, maybe we should carry on this conversation face-to-face."

"Hmm. Did you have a destination in mind?"

"Eh, not exactly."

"Well, then, can I offer a suggestion?"

"Absolutely," Balthazar says, relieved that Lu seems agreeable to the idea of meeting again.

"There's a park downtown, Razchel Park. I don't know how close it is to you, but—"

"I know the place. I can walk there, actually."

"Great. How about there? In like an hour, maybe?"

Balthazar glances at the clock on his bedside table. "Yeah, that should be fine."

"Awesome. I'll see you then."

He smiles. "Yeah, I can't wait."

* * *

He changes his mind on what to wear four times before deciding on exactly what he'd been wearing to begin with: a gray V-neck, black velvet jacket, and jeans. He then spends a good ten minutes fussing over his hair (his curls are definitely unruly today) before dragging a comb through it and calling it good. As an afterthought, he spritzes himself just once with his Chanel cologne before deciding he's ready to go. With just enough time for the twenty-minute walk, he slides his phone, wallet, and keys into his pockets and heads out the door.

When he gets to the park, he has to look past the rows of cars to locate Lu. He immediately regrets not specifying an actual place in the park, but his panic subsides as he takes another long look around and spies a familiar mop of strawberry-blond hair. The sunlight makes the red stand out a little more than it did at the bar the other night, and he feels himself smiling in anticipation and nervousness. Steeling himself for the inevitable embarrassment (he's a few minutes late, but only because he had to stop on the way there and try to figure out if this was a _date_ or just a meeting), he approaches the bench that Lu's sitting on, facing away from him.

"Hey," Balthazar says when he's a few feet away, so as not to startle him.

Lu's still wearing those blue-tinted glasses, he sees, as he turns and flashes him a wide grin. "Hey yourself. I heard you coming from a mile away."

_Most do_, is the response Balthazar immediately comes up with as he slides onto the bench next to him, but he manages not to say it. "I was trying to be sneaky," he jokes instead.

"I'm not saying you failed at it, but a career in espionage probably isn't for you."

"What, with these dashing good looks?" he says, and he's not joking now. He knows he's pretty damn attractive. "I'm a natural."

Lu laughs, and a pleasant warmth floods through the blond at the sound. He's made Lu laugh several times already. That has to count for something, right? "There's more to the spy business than just appearances."

"Appearances are _everything_."

"Well, you have to have class, intelligence, a rapier-sharp wit," Lu starts.

"I'm classy as fuck."

Lu laughs again. "Not too smart, though."

"I'm _plenty_ clever, I'll have you know. I put my shoes on the right feet this morning and everything."

He's on a roll, because Lu is practically giggling. He isn't sure why, but he feels this need to keep Lu smiling. It's strange, but not unpleasant.

But then the strawberry blond's grin diminishes a bit and he heaves a small sigh. "Anyway, I... I know you're wondering about what's going on with Mikey and why he's so protective of me."

"Of course, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I think I need to, actually. It might explain a few things."

"Such as?" Balthazar is genuinely baffled. So far, the only strange thing about this is really just how much he likes Lu. That's a miracle by itself, if he's being completely honest.

He's quiet for a moment. "Just let me explain, okay?"

"Alright, go ahead."

"My dad is… he's kind of an ass," Lu starts, and Balthazar can tell already where this story is going. "When I was about seven, I tried to run away from home. Stupid, right? But I was just a little kid. Kids do things like that. I even left a runaway note on the table before I left and told them not to come looking for me. Mikey and I weren't that close at the time, so I didn't try to convince him to come with me. I must have made it to the end of the block with all of my toys in my wagon and like four winter jackets on. Did I mention it was in January? Because it was really cold outside. Well, my dad must have found the note right after I slammed the door out of the house because the next thing I knew, he was pulling up next to me in his piece-of-shit Honda and yelling at me. I don't even remember what he said, but I do remember that he grabbed me by the arm and threw me into the backseat. And I mean, he literally threw me. Left my wagon at the end of the street and everything. He drove me back to the house and dragged me into the garage." Lu pauses to sigh and Balthazar realizes he's probably told this story hundreds of times, just not to some random stranger he'd met in a bar. "I don't remember a lot of what happened after that. My brain blocked most of it out. But Mikey saw everything and told me what happened. He said my dad held me down and… he poured bleach in my eyes. And he was pinning my hands so I couldn't wipe my eyes. I, um, I guess it went on for about twenty minutes or so before someone called the cops. Mikey said I was screaming a lot, which doesn't surprise me. But by the time the cops and paramedics showed up, it was too late."

_Too late? Too late for what?_

"My dad got sent to jail for a few years and Mikey and I got put in various foster homes, but always together. He never left my side after that. He even went to get my wagon full of toys a few hours after my dad was arrested and my aunt Charlie came to watch us. She hadn't known what was happening, or else she would have gotten us out of there, but the court wouldn't let her keep us. We finally started living with our foster dad—he let us call him by his first name Chuck—when we were ten. But yeah, Mikey's been really protective of me since then."

An aching sadness has settled into Balthazar's gut. He had no idea… but then again, how could he? It's not like abuse like that could be written on someone's face. "I can sort of understand where your brother's coming from, then," he says finally. "I'd probably be fairly protective of my brother if that happened, too. But… what did you mean by 'too late'?"

Lu shoots him a funny look—mostly confused, with some other expression Balthazar can't quite discern. "You really can't tell, can you?"

"Tell what?"

"I'm blind."

Oh. _Oh._ Suddenly, little things he barely registered started clicking into place. The glasses, Lu's comment that he runs into things enough when he's sober, how he doesn't seem to notice people until they speak to him, the way he mentioned several times that he wouldn't have been able to see Balthazar, the way he was still able to function after the blond gave him his best "come hither in my pants" look... "God, I feel like a bloody idiot."

"I think I manage to fool a lot of people, actually. When I don't have Al, anyway."

"Al?"

"Alastair, my seeing eye dog." Lu shrugs. "I just got him a few years ago, but I was doing okay before that. Not that I don't love him to pieces or anything," he adds with a fond grin, "but sometimes I like being able to just hang out and not have people know just by looking at me that I'm blind. It helps because Mikey's with me almost all the time, so if he's close by, he typically acts as my eyes."

"So you're completely blind?"

"One hundred percent. Can't see a damn thing."

"Wow, I just... I'm sorry, I had no idea. I'm usually pretty perceptive, but..."

"Don't worry about it. Really," Lu adds with a grin in his direction.

Suddenly, it hits home just how well-practiced Lu must be if he's able to interact with people like he can actually see. Balthazar couldn't pick up on the subtle _off_-ness of his gaze, but now that he's watching, it's because of both the glasses and the fact that they're sitting next to each other, not across from each other, just like they were on Friday night. It's easy to miss glances like that.

"So. Mikey's around here somewhere?"

"Yeah, he's got Al with him, too. They're probably waiting by the car, watching our every move," he adds in a conspiratorial whisper. "But we can keep talking. I'm the one with supersonic hearing, not him."

Balthazar laughs and feels himself relaxing next to Lu. Maybe this isn't so bad.

* * *

**The next chapter will start where this one left off.**

**Oh, btw, there will be smut in this 'verse. (WONK WONK!)**


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